


Intricacies

by suzukaze (littleoutlaw)



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-06-07 12:10:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6803566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleoutlaw/pseuds/suzukaze
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of fics exploring the relationship between Takumi, Corrin, and Leo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. beyond you, beyond me (takukamu)

**Author's Note:**

> this all takes place in the same universe as my other fic involving these three, so please feel free to read that if you want more! i love these nerds.
> 
> also kudos to radiohead for the chapter title! unrelated but also related -- god is 'a moon shaped pool' so GOOD and i listened to 'daydreaming' over and over while writing this, so it's a good tune to listen to while reading the first chapter.
> 
> one last also - i'm going to try to post a chapter a week, but we'll see how that goes. i truly appreciate all the love on my other fics & it inspires me to continue writing! thank you.

**I.  
  
**                                                                                                     takumi & corrin **  
**  
Takumi woke up in a panic, his fists gripping the sheets tightly and his heart racing. Another nightmare had woke him, this one simple but terrifying. The two people he loved most in this world gone in an instant, without a trace. He sat up, feeling his lovers shift around underneath the covers. The light coming in from the window barely illuminated the room, just enough so that Takumi could see their faces. He sighed, wrapping his arms around himself tightly. The fear of abandonment constantly plagued him, always tugging at his mind. Most of his dreams were violent, but the ones that dug into his psyche hurt him the most. He was about to get up when he felt a hand on the small of his back.  
  
“Takumi...?” Corrin said, her voice still sleepy. She was always the one to wake up first when he had a nightmare. Takumi felt her sit up, her arms suddenly wrapped around him. Corrin was the most observant of the group, the one who was always there with a kind word when someone was upset. Nothing could get past her, no matter how hard either of them tried. Why she had chosen to love the two moodiest and insecure men in the army, he would never know. Her unending compassion and love made Takumi want to cry at times. She pressed her lips against his back, leaving a gentle kiss.  
  
“I'm okay, Corrin. It wasn't bad this time. Just... difficult.” Difficult was an understatement, he though. He didn't want to let her know how bad he was hurting, even though he desperately wanted to. He struggled with being vulnerable, especially with Corrin. She had the weight of the world on her shoulders, and he didn't want to add to the burden. He felt a hand on his thigh, and figured Leo had finally awoken. He almost felt like the knot in his stomach had unraveled. With Leo, he could say anything. Their insecurities were so similar, almost intertwined. Leo understood him in a way no one could, not even Corrin.  
  
“Do you want to get out of bed?” He heard Leo say, his voice sounding husky as it usually did when he had just woken up. He and Leo often went for walks after his nightmares while Corrin stayed in bed. She had always had a hard time waking up, something he found cute despite the frustration it seemed to cause Leo. He supposed Leo had more experience with it, though. He felt a lump in his throat as he always did when he thought back to the time Corrin had spent locked away. She had yet to talk about it, to even breath a word of it. Some people in the army found her lack of life experience annoying, despite knowing her history. Nothing made Takumi see red like hearing people whisper behind her back. They never said anything truly malicious, most people still liked her, but it still filled him with an anger he couldn't even describe.   
  
He felt Leo flop down, taking Takumi's hesitance to answer as a no. He leaned back into Corrin, who still had her arms wrapped around him. She was always warm, which was a curse and a blessing. He figured it was probably the dragon blood. Right now, nothing felt better than the comforting heat of her body on his. He heard a soft snore from Leo, who had already fallen back asleep. It almost amazed him how fast he had fallen asleep. Of course, they were all exhausted from the war, but Takumi still tossed and turned for hours at night, always anxious. Corrin and Leo were both night owls, so he often fell asleep on his own and woke up with the two nestled next to him.   
  
Takumi felt Corrin's hands start to brush through his hair, gentle and careful. He didn't like to let anyone touch his hair, but Corrin had insisted upon it until he gave in. Years of letting his sisters have free reign of his hair had made him wary, but Corrin was delicate and precise. Her own wild hair was hard to tame, and she always told Takumi that his hair was easy to work with. ' _Long and beautiful._ ' She would often muse as she played with it. It became a staple when he woke up from his nightmares, Corrin gently working his hair back into place and relaxing him.   
  
His mind drifted as her fingers worked through his hair, thinking back on his relationship with her. He could distinctly remember the first time he knew he couldn't live without her. It had been a rainy morning, so the three of them had spent all day inside. Leo had read most of the morning, with Corrin curled up next to him. Takumi was the only morning person of the three of them, so he had felt restless as he watched them laze around. The rain finally stopped in the afternoon, leaving the sun peeking out behind some ominous clouds. Takumi said he was going for a walk, which prompted Corrin to pop up and join him.   
  
They had barely started their journey before it started to pour again. He had turned to run back but stopped when he saw her, blissfully dancing in the rain. It almost seemed like a cliché to him, but he had never seen anything so beautiful. She held her hand out, and despite his better judgment, he grabbed on. He felt free as they spun and danced in the rain, both completely soaked. Being with Corrin was freedom to him. He felt like he could abandon all his inhibitions, if only for a moment. She was incomparable. At that moment he knew he belonged with her – with both of them.   
  
He came back to the present when he heard Corrin's voice again, almost inaudible. She had said something about going back to sleep, but he didn't quite make it out. He felt her slide back next to him, already wrapped tightly in the blankets. Sometimes after waking up from a nightmare, he felt like he wasn't there. Nothing assured him more than reaching out to touch one of them, to feel them actually existing. He laid down on Corrin, resting his head on her chest. Her heartbeat had an abnormal beat, something that had frightened him at first, but she assured him it was normal. ' _Dragon_ _blood',_ she had reminded him. Now, it was comforting. He knew he wouldn't fall back asleep, but he couldn't help but feel safe, the pain of the nightmare gone. He reached across her torso to grab her hand, squeezing it tightly. He would never let go.


	2. where i end and you begin (takukamu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corrin recalls an important memory while injured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> credit to radiohead for the song title once again! i guess it's going to be a theme, i've been listening to them non-stop while writing this particular series.
> 
> also, all of these chapters won't include flashbacks, i've just had the first two chapters planned out for a bit longer than the others. some will be in the past and some will be in the present.

**II.  
**  
                                                                                                    corrin & takumi

  
The first thing she remembered upon waking up was violent screaming. She remembered her vision going blurry, a searing pain rushing through her body. From where, she wasn't sure. The smell of the earth as she stumbled and fell, the familiar sound of an arrow slicing through the air. The last thing she could recall was the scream. It curled through her, cutting through her pain. She almost felt like it reached out to touch her soul.   
  
Her eyes were too heavy to open yet, but she was awake. Corrin gripped her bedsheets, the pain she had remembered moments ago ripping through her again. Subdued this time, but still painful. She could faintly smell blood, failing to be covered by the sterile smell filling the room otherwise. It finally clicked that she was in the infirmary. She had never been injured badly enough to be here. Though she had suffered her fair share of injuries, most of them had been healed easily by Sakura or Elise. She winced as she felt the pain again. It must have been bad if neither of them had been able to heal her completely.   
  
She wondered who the scream had belonged to. She shifted around, trying to reduce the pain when she heard a gasp and the sound of a chair being pushed back. She felt a hand on her face, the sound of someone sniffling. Her eyes finally fluttered open, still heavy. She smiled weakly when she saw who was standing over her, her heart feeling full.   
  
“Hi.” Corrin said quietly, her throat feeling slightly strained. She figured she must have been out for a while.   
  
“Corrin... Oh gods Corrin, I was so scared. I thought you left me.” Takumi said, his voice shaky. She heard him hold back what sounded like a sob as he leaned down to hug her gently. She breathed in his scent, familiar and comforting. She felt a wetness on her shirt and realized Takumi was crying. She lifted her arms up, weakly wrapping them around his body, and she felt him began to sob even harder.  
  
“I'm right here, Takumi. I'm not going anywhere.” She said, patting his back with what little strength she had.   
  
“I know, I just love you so much.” Takumi said, sniffing. “I just couldn't live without you, Corrin. I love you too much.”  
  
“Come here, Takumi.” She said, moving herself over on the bed until there was enough room for him. He nodded and climbed next to her carefully. She felt content feeling his warmth so close to her again, something she realized she had sorely missed the minute she saw him. He sat up so she could lay her head on his chest, something that he knew she loved. Corrin felt her eyes closing shut again as she began to drift in and out of sleep.  
  
Her sleepy state left her mind wandering, and she thought back to the first time Takumi had told her he loved her. Despite his hurried confession at the archery fields, he hadn't said it since. Takumi, like Leo, was a complex box of emotions. While it hadn't taken Corrin long to get Leo to open up, Takumi was another story. He was so heavily guarded that not even she could get him to let go. It had been a warm and pleasant evening when she decided to ask Takumi to go stargazing after one of their archery sessions. The astral plane did have a great view, she had told him.   
  
The two of them had found a comfortable spot in the forest, with a perfect view between a clearing in the trees. Corrin had sat between his legs, leaning back against his chest. He had wrapped his arms around her tightly, his head resting atop hers. They had sat in a comfortable silence until Takumi had spoken up, surprising her.   
  
' _Corrin , I want you to know how important you are to me._' He had said, clearing his throat. ' _I may not be the best at expressing my emotions with you or Leo... But you two mean the world to me._'  
  
' _I know, Takumi. It's okay._'  
  
' _I would do anything for you, Corrin. You... You're my life._' He had reached down to place a kiss on the top of her head, squeezing her gently. Corrin had turned around to look him eyes, still surprised by what he was saying. She knew he loved her, but this was the first time he'd ever been this vocal about it. Corrin was usually the one making sweeping declarations of adoration to her lovers.   
  
' _Takumi... thank you. I love you.'_ Corrin had leaned forward to kiss him, only for Takumi to stop her before their lips met.  
  
' _I-I love you too.'_ He closed the small gap between them, finishing what Corrin had started. The night had continued with nervous hands fluttering over each other, exploring each other as their bodies were illuminated by the moonlight. A nervous lover's ' _Are you okay?'_ repeated throughout the night, only to be assuaged by pleasure. The feeling of truly being together, all inhibitions forgotten as they cradled each other after, unsure where he ended and she began.   
  
Corrin felt herself jolt slightly, finally coming back to reality and feeling herself flush a little. She looked over to see that Takumi had fallen back asleep. He must have been here this whole time, just waiting for her to wake up. She looked over at her bedside, seeing a letter labeled with ' _Corrin ' _in Leo's neat handwriting. Corrin knew Leo hated the infirmary, the smell made him sick, so she wasn't surprised to see him missing. She knew he'd make up with endless apologies and ' _I love yous' _later.  
  
Takumi shifted in his sleep, his head resting on top of Corrin's now. She smiled again, feeling a deep warmth spread throughout her body. She loved him so deeply and fully, she could barely believe it. There was no one in this world as dedicated as him, as willing to go to the ends of the earth for her. Of course, she loved Leo just as much, but the way the two men loved each other and her were all different. For Takumi, she thought, she'd do anything.


	3. i might be wrong (leokumi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi and Leo try to take their relationship to the next level.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wellllll i'm back! sorry about the long break between chapters. i really did plan to update weekly, but work and personal life became too much. biweekly or monthly updates seem more likely, so stay posted.
> 
> i did plan for part 3 to be corrin & leo (which i have mostly written), but i got hit with an itch to write leokumi and felt much more inspired to write this. this part is dialog heavy, which is something i'm trying to work on, so i apologize for any stiffness. 
> 
> thank you for reading and waiting patiently!

**III.**

                                                                                               takumi & leo // past

Takumi tapped his fingers impatiently, feeling his stomach twist uncomfortably. Tonight was the first night that he and Leo were spending alone without Corrin. He had met with her earlier, feeling reluctant about spending the night with Leo. She had assured him that it would be fine and had given him some advice that made his face turn red. It wasn't that he didn't want to be with Leo, but he had no idea how to go about things – especially with another man. The only experience he had was with Corrin, and he still didn't feel confident about that. Learning how to navigate two partners was going to be something new altogether.

Takumi's head jerked up as he heard the door open, his eyes fixing on Leo. His stomach twisted again and he pinched his leg, trying to calm down. It didn't help that his partner was beautiful, something Takumi never thought he would call another man. He had admired his form in the hot springs many times, his tight muscles and slender form making Takumi feel awkward in comparison. His insecurity about himself compared to Leo was the most difficult part of their new arrangement. Corrin told him that he was beyond comparison, and that she loved him just as much as she loved Leo. But still, the feeling of jealousy tugged at him whenever they were together. Corrin had told Takumi when they met earlier that she hoped tonight would ease some of his insecurities. He prayed to the gods she was right.

He stood up, unsure of what to do. Leo had come inside already, working to remove his armor. Takumi coughed, and felt like he wanted to bolt out the door. Maybe this was a mistake. He couldn't do this without Corrin. She was gentle and kind, the only person he felt comfortable being vulnerable with. Leo was a daunting figure, alluring but frightening. The past few months had shown that he and Takumi were similar, almost scarily so. Takumi still felt there was something about him that he was missing, a part of him Takumi quite couldn't understand. He was about to excuse himself when Leo suddenly spoke up.

“Are you okay? You're sweating more than Niles does after he gets a paper cut.” He said, smirking. Takumi grunted in response, annoyed at Leo's teasing behavior. Leo stepped closer, to him the smirk from his face gone.

“Hey...” He grabbed Takumi's hands, giving them a squeeze. “If you don't want to do this, we don't have to. If you're not ready, you can tell me.”

Takumi stepped back, Leo's hands falling from his. He already felt his emotions starting to crumble, but he had to hold it together.

“I'm fine.” He replied, sounding a little icier than he wanted to. He looked down, noticing Leo grimace. “Really, I am. Let's get to it.”

Takumi walked over to the bed and turned his back as he removed his clothes, almost sure he could feel Leo's eyes on his back. He was down to his smallclothes when he felt Leo's hand on his back. “Leo, I'm f-”

Leo cut him off before he could finish. “Takumi. I know you now, you're not fine.”

Leo sat on the bed and motioned for Takumi to sit next to him. He suddenly felt small and exposed. Takumi grabbed a blanket off the end of the bed and wrapped it around himself, avoiding Leo's touch. The bed creaked as Leo turned towards him.

“Please tell me what's wrong.”

“You'll think I'm stupid. You probably already think I've ruined the night.”

He heard Leo sigh. “Takumi, please. You don't need to put yourself down. I don't think you're stupid, and you certainly haven't ruined the night. We can still spend time together.”

“I don't want to just spend time together! I wanted to...” Takumi felt embarrassed, unable to even say it out loud.

“I've never been with a man either. Is that what you're worried about?” Leo scooted closer, pushing himself against Takumi. “It's new for me too.”

Takumi lifted the blanket up and let Leo in next to him. His body was warm, and seeing his muscles this close almost made Takumi speechless.

“We could just cuddle if you want. Corrin says you're quite the expert.” Leo said, poking Takumi in the side.

“No! I mean, yes, I'll cuddle you... But I still want to try... you know.” Takumi said. Having Leo this close to him made it even harder to say.

“Takumi, if we're going to have sex, you're going to have to be able to say the word.”

Takumi felt himself flush, feeling embarrassed. “You're right... Leo, I want to have sex with you.”

He felt proud of himself as he watched Leo blush this time. He took a deep breath before starting again.  
“But I don't think I'm ready tonight.” Takumi looked away. He felt ashamed. He was about to get up before he felt Leo's hand grab his, squeezing it gently.

“That's fine. It doesn't have to be all at once. We could start slow.” Leo said softly. Takumi felt him move towards him, his lips gently brushing his neck. Takumi tensed up, his heart suddenly feeling like it was about to pound out of his chest.

“N-no!” He shouted, feeling guilty as he watched Leo recoil. “I'm sorry... I...”

Takumi felt a sense of dread building in his chest. He was going to push Leo away like he pushed everyone else away. It was inevitable. He was almost ready to tell Leo to just leave when he felt Leo's hand caress his cheek.

“I'm sorry, Takumi. I should have asked you if that was okay. I can leave if you want.”

Takumi's heart skipped a beat, affection replacing the harsh words he thought were coming. He looked at Leo's sincere face, and felt something deep that he only felt with Corrin. Trust.

“Please...” Takumi said softly. “Please don't leave.” He leaned into Leo and wrapped his arms around him tightly. He felt Leo's arms wrap around him.

“I won't. I promise you.”

Promise was a hard word for Takumi to swallow. He could barely trust anyone, yet alone believe someone when they promised him something. Nothing made him feel more vulnerable than connecting with someone. That's why he remained aloof with so many in his life, unwilling to open his heart. Corrin was the only one who had made him feel safe. How funny that she led him to Leo, Takumi thought. For Leo, he'd open his heart again.


End file.
